The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1887-01-11
THE POMAkS.
Curious and Interesting People Whs
Dwell I'm Eastern Roumeiia.

Z a. Curious ana interesting feOptc mo
Dwell I'm Eastern Roumeiia.
The Paris Temps gives an interesting
description of the Pomaks, or Mussul-
man inhabitants of the territories of
Rouftchos and Kirdjali, in Eastern Rou-
melia, which reverted TO Turkey in ac-
cordance with the arrangement come
to between the Sublime Porte and the
Bulgarian Government. The territor-
les of Rouftchos and Kirdiali are both
of them in the south of Roumelia; the
former being in the upper valleys of
the Rhodope mountains, while the lat
ter, which lies more to the east and is
by far the most important of the two, is
situated between the river Arda, which
forms the southern boundary of Rou-
melia, the Ulu-Dere and the mountains
of Hissardj k-Dagh, which are part of
the Rhodope chain. The district of
Rouftchos contains sixty-four villages,
with population of about twelve thou
sand, the principal of them being Dele
Xiii, Balaban, Hirsova and Nostankeuy.
The district of Kirdjali comprises one
hundred and eighty eight villages, with
about twenty-five thousand inhabitants,
the principal of which are Kirdjali.
Karamanti, MerSiler, Karaguenchler
and Hassanbabalar. There is, how
ever, q dispute as TO whether twenty
four of these villages should belong TO
Turkey or Bulgaria, and they are in
the meanwhile held by the latter. The
inhabitants of these two districts are all
Mussulman Pomaks. these Pomaks be-
ing descendants of the Bulgarians, who,
like the ServiaD Begs, the Albanian
Arnauts and Greek Vanalades, en-
braced the Mohammedan faith at the
time of the Ottoman conquest, or soon
after, in order to retain possession of
their lands. These Pomaks, though
living in nearly a savage state, are
for the most part of a very peace
able disposition. Confined to their
mountains, they live mainly by agri-
culture and by the manufacture of
charcoal from the forests which cover
the sides of the mountains. The Po-
maks furnish the best arabadjis, or
wagoners, and the transport of goods
between Macedonia and Roumelia is
entirely in their hands. The POmaks
of kirdiali are much better off than
those of Rouftchos, as their territory
is extraordinarily fertile, and, being
irrigated by various streams, the val
Ieys and mountain slopes produce an
endless variety of fruits. Grapes grow
in abundance, and these are dried as
raisins, for the Pomaks do not drink
wine. Peaches, apricots, pears, apples
and nuts are very plentiful, and the
quality of the tobacco grown in this
district is very good. The Pomaks
have preserved some very curious re-
hgious practices and superstitions,
and, though they belong to the Mo-
hammedan faith, they look upon the
Bulgarian priests as magicians pos
sessing great power. When i'll they
always 90 to them for advice, and do
not hesitate to recite the prayers to the
Virgin which the priests instruct them
to offer. When there is a severe
drought they take maiden from one
of the villages, cover ner over with
palms, and pour water over her. chant
ing in Bulgarian appeals to the Glenn
ency of the diyInities in whom their
ancestors believed-the companions in
arms of Asparuk, Kroum and Boris.
The Rouftchos Pomaks have never
paid any taxes either to the Ottoman
or to the Bulgarian authorities; and if
tax-collector ever applied to them
for payment they politely requested
him to return to the place whence he
came, while in the event of his refus-
ing they shO< him. Two collectors
and q posse of Roumelian gendarmes
were Killed in this way; so that will
perhaps explain the readiness of the
Bulgarians to make over these districts
TO Turkey after the Servo-BulgariaD
war last winter. London Youth.